Apologize
by sakura rakuen
Summary: ONESHOT. We all know Byakuya's not the most forgiving person, so how did he ever forgive Urahara? And Yoruichi? This isn't my best story, but the thought came into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. I don't own Bleach.


He'd barely set foot back in the manor—he was out of Fourth Division at last—before he felt a familiar reiatsu.

"Shihouin-san." he said, not so much as a greeting as a way to acknowledge her presence.

"Kuchiki-taichou," she said, equally as polite. She didn't whine about his formality, didn't punch his arm and tell him to call her Yoruichi or else, didn't do anything but stand there.

"How's Rukia?" she asked, hoping to start off on friendly terms.

"Don't." he interrupted her.

She sighed.

"Now's not the best time, is it?"

He didn't answer, and she left in a blur of colors. He made it all the way to his room before collapsing on his bed, moving his fingers lazily in an incantation to stop his wound from reopening.

On the roof of the manor, a black cat lay sulking.

* * *

A month passed. He knew she'd be back eventually, but didn't anticipate that she'd be back so soon.

It was his day off, and he was just exiting the Clan's meeting room, having finished the negotiations with the other clans. He changed into a slightly less formal robe of royal blue silk, with the Clan Seal embroidered on the back in white.

It was then that she appeared.

"So you've breached security."

She faced him, eyes blazing with determination. He nearly sighed, but instead lead her to a sitting room. The servants sent questioning looks as they passed, but one wave of his hand sent them to another wing of the manor. He led Yoruichi to the east sitting room. It was the place where they had first met, and she did not miss that fact.

"Sit," he said, eyes flickering to a low couch near the window. She sat, head bowed and looking humble for the first time since he'd known her.

"Kuchiki-taichou, I came on behalf of a friend who is unable to attend—"

"I did not say it was alright for you to speak," he said icily, and she recoiled, looking shocked. He sat down directly in front of her.

"Look at me." he said, more as an order than anything else. She rose to meet his eyes unflinchingly, and there was unwavering anger in her violet orbs.

"You can't blame him, Byakuya," she said crossly.

"Exactly who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do?" he questioned her, and for a moment she seemed docile again, but snapped her head back up to glare at him.

"He's sorry. Isn't that enough?"

"No. Rukia's life was put in danger because of Kisuke's disregard for the law. If he'd never created that thing—"

"And who are you to talk of disregarding the law? If I recall correctly, you broke your Clan's sacred rules and married a peasant!" she retorted.

Up until this point they had both been standing, but at her words, Byakuya sat down again and ran a hand through his hair.

"That's why she died, wasn't it? He tried placing the Hougyoukou inside her soul too?

Yoruichi paled.

"He would never—"

"I'm sure he wouldn't. Since when has Kisuke placed others' safety before his own experiments?" he said delicately, causing her to flush angrily.

"IT'S NOT HIS FAULT!" she burst out, breathing hard. "He...made a mistake. Rukia's already forgiven him, so why can't you?!"

"Because I'm not anywhere as naïve."

"Byakuya—"

"Let me ask you something, Yoruichi. Are you truly here to apologize on his behalf?"

"Of cour—"

"Because I sincerely hoped you were going to apologize for your _own_ mistakes."

"W—what do you mean?" she said, trying to mask the fact that she had stumbled.

"Let's start with abandoning your division, for one."

"I..."

"You what?"

She took a deep, steadying breath.

"I'm sorry. I did what I thought was right."

Silence reigned for a moment before there was a rustling of robes. Byakuya stood up and ran his hand along the bookshelf in a corner until he found what he was looking for.

"Here," he unfurled it and handed it to her. She took it and gasped.

_To the Noble and Esteemed House of Kuchiki:_

_Two fugitives, former Twelfth Division Captain Urahara Kisuke and former Special Forces and Second Divison Leader Shihouin Yoruichi, fled Soul Society on the eve of their hearing. They are rumored to have passed to the Human World._

_Your orders are to capture one or both of them. The condition in which they are turned in is not relevant. At this point, Soul Society considers them both threats, and you will not be penalized should you slay them._

_Central 46._

The paper was faded and yellowed from age, and the ink ran from repeated readings, but otherwise it was pristine.

"I was dispatched for a month to the human world, to look—to _hunt_ for the two of you." Byakuya told her, a deadly calm in his voice. If she strained her ears enough, she could detect a note of strain in there.

At that moment, Yoruichi felt the accumulated guilt of a century crash onto her shoulders with a force she had obviously never anticipated; because she broke. One tear fell onto her lap, followed by another, and soon they were flowing freely. She had often stopped to consider what and who she'd left behind; but it had never crossed her mind that her decision might have actual _consequences_. Or at least, none so grave as this. Her shoulders trembled as she held back sobs.

"I apologize," came his voice.

She looked up and furiously blinked the tears away. She hurriedly gathered the remains of her pride and rearranged them into a mask cool enough to face Byakuya.

"For what?" she rasped, curiosity and bitterness evident in her tone.

"Get up Yoruichi, I'll have the servants bring you some milk." he said, already standing to leave. She smiled weakly; he'd used her name.

"Wh—what do I tell Urahara?" she asked hoarsely.

"That I'll be stopping by next week."

She grinned. Maybe it wasn't a direct confession of forgiveness, but it was a start.

Byakuya called the nearest servant (which actually wasn't too far off, as they'd no doubt been hoping to eavesdrop. Precisely why he kept those rooms under kidou barriers.)

"Fetch her a drink." he ordered, and the man scampered off.

He made his way to his room, to change back into his captain's robes and head into the office anyway. Renji would obviously be lounging around; so he was sure there would be a full stack of paperwork to distract him.

He really didn't need his conscience to act up now, after he'd suppressed it for the last hundred years or so.

A/N: Before anyone asks...NO this is not Yoru/Byaku. It just seems to me that as cold as Byakuya is, it still hurts to be abandoned by a friend. And it always hurts for the people that were 'deserters' in the first place. So Yoruichi obviously couldn't have had an easy time.


End file.
